What 21 Savage Revealed About Our Immigration System


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Following the arrest of the Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum musician, 21 Savage, by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), many questions have emerged across social media and a vast multitude of news outlets. The first, and for some, the most obvious is, “what’s next for the rapper?” ICE currently has him in custody in Georgia and the process of initiating removal proceedings have officially begun, a process that can take months or years in some cases. With his legal team working towards his release, it is likely to be an uphill battle.

ICE alleges that 21 Savage is actually from the UK, and he came to the United States in July of 2005 at the age of 12. Although his visa expired a year later, 21 Savage has remained in the United States ever since. News of 21’s status as an illegal immigrant comes as a shock to many due to several of his lyrics describing his upbringing in Atlanta. Considering his status as a convicted felon, the outlook for 21’s future in America is unpromising.

Arguably the most alarming component of 21 Savage’s situation was his ability to be so successful in the music industry yet fly under ICE’s radar. To date, his career as a rapper has been wildly successful; he has managed to amass a net worth of over 21 million dollars and own multiple homes with  a 12 car garage full of luxury vehicles.

Despite being a cultural icon and paying a significant amount of money in taxes, it still isn’t clear how, or even if, ICE was made specifically aware of 21 Savage’s visa status, based on their recent statement. In their statement, ICE claimed that they were targeting a fellow rapper, Young Nudy, which subsequently lead to 21’s arrest. Additionally, 21 had been previously arrested in 2014 for felony drug charges. With these many run-ins with the law, it is surprising that it took this long to find out.

But we should take a step back and examine how 21 Savage’s extended time in the US was able to occur. The Center for Migration Studies, a nonpartisan think tank, estimates that there are currently 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. This accounts for approximately 3% of the United States population. The think tank also estimates that roughly two-thirds of all illegal immigrants in the United States are here on overstayed visas, as was the case for 21 Savage. But ICE rarely prioritizes those who have overstayed their visas, so it is not uncommon for someone to go unnoticed for years or, in some cases, even decades.

While the 21 Savage story is a serious one, it only represents a small portion of the very large problem. Our federal government simply cannot keep up with all of the expired visas in the United States. They are struggling to enforce even their own immigration laws effectively. The visa program is a wonderful thing that allows many wonderful people to come to this country for numerous reasons. It is a great system that is, unfortunately, being mismanaged. It is unacceptable that we have such a prevalent problem with visa overstays, regardless of who it may be. I fully believe that the overwhelming majority of people who are here illegally are fine people, here for many complex reasons, but illegal immigration is detrimental to society in a number of ways.

First, illegal immigrants have an unfair advantage over Americans in employment search because it is possible for employers to get away with underpaying them, all the while being less inclined to promote good working conditions. This not only harms those Americans in search of a job but it also exploits illegal immigrants who cannot take legal recourse against employers due to the possibility of their illegal status being brought to light.

Second, illegal immigrants place undue strain on resources and services that are designed to help Americans in need. In 2013, households headed by illegal immigrants cost the US 54.5 billion a year. While illegal immigrants cannot utilize means-tested welfare, or direct benefit welfare programs, they do receive other government benefits and services that they do not pay in to. Children in households headed by illegal immigrants receive heavily subsidized education. These children are currently eligible for all government benefit assistance programs as well. Additionally, illegal immigrants also use roads, parks, sewers, and other public goods and services such as police and firemen. With an increase in use of these aforementioned services and goods, the cost goes up. As costs increase, despite no increase in tax revenue, quality of service diminishes considerably.

Third, illegal immigrants undermine legal immigration. There are several million people around the world who have been waiting for years to obtain numerically limited visas and citizenship. Illegal immigration makes a mockery of those people who are trying to go about it the right way, by allowing individuals who are already here to stay here without any of the extra work.

As Americans, we have the privilege to help people from all around the world. It is nothing short of an honor that there are people willing to leave their home countries to come to America for safety or the chance at a new life. This is the chance I earnestly believe most illegal immigrants are searching for. However, it becomes an issue when it is adversely affecting citizens of the United States who should always be the priority.

It is undeniable that immigration reform is needed in the United States. However, where to start is far less clear. Surprisingly, the arrest of 21 Savage serves as an important reminder that the U.S. needs to focus its efforts and energy on tracking visas and those who overstay them. This will allow us to continue to offer and improve upon our visa program.

There are a few ways that the US can improve to help prevent instances like this from happening. The US would benefit by strengthening systems that cross-reference names between those who are on visas but have yet to have a recorded departure, with arrest records, property ownership records, and any other federal databases.

The US should also develop more cooperative federal-state immigration enforcement programs with internal visa specific focuses. By strengthening enforcement capabilities, the US can more effectively manage expired visa based illegal immigration.

While 21 Savage’s future remains unclear and his role remains small in the grand scheme of this problem, his situation demonstrates how deep the United States’ immigration problem truly is.